Finished We 11/12/11
Although darkly comedic and wickedly presented, THE TORTILLA CURTAIN speaks volumes of unalloyed Truth about America's failed immigration policy. T.C Boyle examines the lives of two married couples on either side of the US/Mexican border, who also happen to occupy two vastly different sides of the Economic and Class divide. America and Candido are two illegal aliens who have left abject poverty, and traveled North in search of a more sustainable future, while Delaney and Kyra are two very rich Americans who enjoy a lavish and wealthy lifestyle, yet the monetary rewards and social prestige have brought little peace or tranquility.
T.C. Boyle reveals the truth of the contemporary American Conservative agenda. Economic success was not really meant for everyone, but just for people who are already economically successful. Delaney and Kyra spout liberal bromides and seem to believe in a kind of ephemeral 'Goodness', yet their philosophy is really driven by greed, racism, and vanity.
The story alternates between Candido and America's desperate struggle for existence in a canyon wilderness just yards away from one of the wealthiest enclaves in history, and Delaney and Kyra's ethical dilemma which pits their immeasurable wealth and prosperity against an elusive and unnameable enemy. It seems that Boyle uses the canyon fires, the wild coyotes, their walled community, and the undocumented horde, as metaphors for a kind of spiritual attack which originates from within the very soul of American Capitalism.
THE TORTILLA CURTAIN is a fine novel, and has a wonderful plot, and also something topical and relevant to say.
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